Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. Among the stories which have won for themselves a definite and permanent place within the charmed circle of Arthurian tradition, probably the most popular is the legend of Perceval. Whether in its earlier and simpler form, as the tale of the orphan lad, brought up by his mother afar from the haunts of men, whose initial simplicity provokes mockery, whose innate virtue and valour demand respect; or in its later form, as the story of the Christian hero who wins the talisman, and rules the mystic kingdom Of the Grail, there is an enduring charm in the legend. A theme which has inspired equally the graceful, somewhat shallow, art of Chretien de Troyes, the deeper insight and more human sympathies of Wolfram von Eschenbach, and centuries later, the com manding genius of Richard Wagner, has an indisputable claim to be accounted one of the world's great stories.
